Deluge
by Jetmoon
Summary: Someone does something terribly wrong; what will the consequences be?
1. prologue

He lurched forward, dripping sweat mixing with rain that fell like broken glass, shattering against the hard ground. The trees blurred as he ran,dark smears in the shadowy twilight. The effects of alcohol still poisoned his system, and he swayed dizzily across the floor of rotting leaves.

But the drink was not enough to stop the tempest of roaring images and emotions in his head, pressure building as a hurricane.

Like a whirlwind it swirled, until only flashes and indistinct, gabbled wordscould be detected from the din. Faster, faster…..

He collapsed forward, vile liquid spurting from his mouth. He coughed and retched, his body trying to eject the horrible burning in his stomach. But you can not get rid of something that is not flesh and bone…

The terrible pain in his stomach was paled by the agony that boiled inside his heart. Icy rain dripped down his back, soaking his shirt.

Screams reverberated inside his head, echoing as though from the bottom of a dark well.

He was on his knees, alone in the dark.

"What have I done..." he whispered to himself. The softly dripping forest was silent. Perhaps it was a good thing that no-one answered...


	2. Chapter 1

The morning dawned harsh and painful. A hangover lurked inside his head, shoving knifes into the sides of his skull. The throbbing pain was half-welcome.

Sawyer felt as though he deserved it.

He staggered upright from his 'tent', wincing as the sunlight hit his eyes, beating the knives deeper into bone. The remorse had not dulled; the memories had not grown scar tissue. Flickering images like a faulty TV screen burned behind his eyes, blinding him. He grabbed his head and moaned as a jackhammer drilled through his temples.

"Hey!"

Sawyer froze, glancing quickly behind him. It was Sayid, glowering at him. The blond man turned to face him, his usual familiar smirk fading into a grimace as his head twinged.

"Well, if it isn't Ali Baba..." Sawyer found he could not meet Sayids eyes.

"Where did you get the alcohol." It wasn't a question.

"Found it in one of the cases. Not a crime is it?"

"It is if it could be used for medicinal purposes." said Sayid curtly.

Sawyer said nothing. _You'll kill me when you find out _he thought dully.

Sayid seemed to be waiting for an answer. Sawyer felt his face begin to go red.

"Alright! Next time I find booze, I'll share. Happy?" he snarled.

Sayid left without a word.

Sawyer flopped onto the hot sand, trying to wipe his brain of the pictures that had been tattooed on the back of his eyes. He shivered slightly, even as the sun burned his flesh red.

Still scowling, Sayid glanced around, wondering where Kate had got to…..

* * *

Sorry for the EXTREMELY short chapters. The next ones are longer. 


	3. Chapter 2

No, October Sky, that was the right person...

* * *

Sawyer walked along the beach, so far that the other survivors were black ants in the distance. He collapsed on the sand, feeling the sun burn his face, welcoming the distraction. It was already hot, though it couldn't have been later then 10 in the morning.

Closing his eyes he lay back, soaking up the heat. As soon as he shut his eyes memories flooded through his head, bombarding his mind with flashing images.

_The drink intoxicating his system, he wandered through the jungle, the feeling of bliss that accompanied alcohol making his heart swell. The sky rumbled darkly above him, a warning of the storm to come..._

_..."Freckles, what's a girl like you doing so far inside the dark jungle?" he leered at her, the drink making him even more infuriating than usual._

_"I needed time to think" she snapped irritably, nose wrinkling at his breath..._

_He was angry. Rage boiled in his mind, blinding him to everything. Angry so pure it blinded him to everything, to the whispering thoughts in his head the told him to stop...The sky growled, a tongue of white flame flicking across the sky..._

_She screamed, the sound lost in the thunder of raindrops that fell around them. Light flashed, and her face was illuminated. Eyes wide in terror, skin dead white, blood dripping black down her face. The sky wept tears of ice, shattering around him as he..._

Sawyers eyes snapped open. His breath grated in his chest; he couldn't breath. He sat up quickly, headache shrieking in his skull. He winced and gripped his temples in shaking hands. No matter how hard the tattoo in his head would beat, the images flicked through his mind, stuck in a treacherous loop. He growled and punched the sand angrily. Tears of frustration and guilt drifted into the corner of his eyes, and the once beautiful scenery blurred away to a smear of random colour.

Sawyer stood up and ran into the surf, the relentless surges smashing against his body. Gritting his teeth against the cold, he stood like a statue, letting the ocean bruise and beat him. _You will pay for what you did... _whispered his heart, cold as the sea.

Jack wandered through the jungle towards the beach, seating in the sweltering heat. He had a feeling that the cough lurking in Shannon's chest was more than just a mere cold.

His foot falls squelched darkly in the wet mud. The forest was oddly silent, none of the hidden birds singing, nor the bugs humming their toneless melodies. The music of the jungle was quiet, cowed. It made him nervous.

He froze suddenly, listening. There was a noise, so faint he could not be sure it was real or his mind playing tricks. He stepped forward, and the noise stopped. He quickly walked forward, ears straining. There was eternal silence around him. A flash of colour out of the corner of his eye... He turned quickly. The unnatural blue was still there, a tiny sliver through the trees, glowing in the seas of green and brown.

He crept forward, slipping through the trees. A still form lay on the ground, skin deathly pale. He felt his heart lodge in his throat Brown hair was plastered across her face, as though trying to mask the purple bruise that spread across the left side of her face.

"Kate..."

He knelt beside her. She was motionless. He placed a hand at her neck, praying for a pulse, any signs of life.

It was as though his fingers had given her an electric shock. Her body lurched, and her eyes snapped open, wide with terror. Her eyes snapped onto his face.

"Jack?"

She tried to sit up, and her face contorted with pain. She fell back, trembling. Jack bent over her, trying to calm her down.

"Kate, it's okay, I'm here. Try not to -"

Her eyes rolled up, muscles slackening. She fainted. Gently, he picked her off the ground, hoping he was not damaging her body further. It was too dangerous to leave her here, alone.

Her head rested against his chest, and he saw the extent of the blow to her face. It covered her entire eye, spread down her nose and across a cheek. Blood was caked across the left side of her face, black as poison. He wondered what monster had done this...

When Sawyer returned, cold and wet, people were speaking in hushed voices, glancing nervously at the forest. Sawyer wandered towards it, but Sayid grabbed his arm.

"I would not go in there now." Sawyer looked scornfully at the darker man.

"And why would that be?" Sayids face darkened with a worried frown.

"You have not heard?"

"Heard _what_?" Sawyer felt the beginnings of fear dripping down his spine.

"Kate has been attacked. It is not safe to go in there" Sawyer stared at him, and his skin crawled. The fear and anger that radiated of Sayid made him feel sick. As the dark man walked away, Sawyer found himself wishing that he had restrained himself when he had found that bottle of whisky...

Jack wrapped his friend tightly in blankets, trying to stave off the inevitable pneumonia. He dabbed the blood of her white cheek, stomach curling into a knot when he realised how far the damage stretched. The scratches were not only on her face, but slipped across a shoulder and disappeared under her shirt. _As though she had dragged_... the thought was alarming. He felt a twitch under his hand, and drew back quickly as she burst into wakefulness. She tensed and jerked away even before her eyes opened. She seemed to gave straight through him for a moment, but then her dark eyes centered on him.

"Jack? What..." she glanced around the caves, confused. "How did I get here?"

"I brought you here. You were in the jungle. Remember?"

She shuddered, and whispered softly, almost to herself.

"I remember."


	4. Chapter 3

Sorry this took so long. Had an exam and a project due on the same day.

Errrrrr……I don't know when this is set. After 'the moth', though. Just saw it here in Australia. Well, we were supposed to, but I was seeing Shakespeare.

* * *

Kate was silent as he carefully wiped the blood from her face, wincing as he bumped the tender flesh around her right eye.

"What happened?" Her eyes flickered slightly, but she remained quiet. Jack frowned and sat back down next to her, accidentally bumping her left foot.

She went dead white and grabbed her leg, face tight with pain. He looked at her foot and felt his stomach drop, wondering how he could have missed it before.

Her foot was at a strange angle, a bone jutting out just beneath her skin. Kate followed his stunned gaze, and all remaining colour drained from her face.

"Oh god."

Jack thought rapidly. The freezing temperatures Kate had been subjected to would have dulled the pain of her broken ankle, but that would wear off soon. He stood and hurried over to where Hurley and Charlie were sitting.

"Charlie, I need you to get me two flat lengths of wood. Hurley, come with me."

"What's this for?" asked Charlie in surprise, but Jack was already moving back towards Kate, who was staring in horror at her broken ankle.

"Kate, I'm going to have to set your ankle in place." He began to tear up a shirt to bind the wood. Kate gaped at him.

"What!" she said, though deep down she knew it was necessary. Charlie came back with two relatively straight pieces of wood. Kate moaned softly.

* * *

Sawyer was pacing nervously across the beach, flicking glances across to the jungle. _How long till they come? _He wondered uneasily, the thumping in his head forgotten. He felt like a cornered rat. It was only a matter of time until she told them. Then Jack would come for him.

* * *

"Ready?"

Jack looked across to Kate, who had a wad of cloth between her teeth. Hurley was holding her by the arms, looking extremely apprehensive. She nodded, bracing herself.

Jack moved the bone and a muffled shriek came from Kate. People nearby looked up, startled. Charlie held Kate's leg down, straining to keep her still. Hurley went slightly green and looked away as Jack began to position the bone. He could hear Kate's jaw creak as she bit down on the wad of cloth.

Jack bound her foot to the planks of wood, wishing he had more powerful painkillers. Kate already had quite a lot of his supply, but they clearly weren't helping. He tightened the last piece of cloth around her leg.

"Done." Charlie and Hurley gratefully let go of Kate. Her face had gone grey, and she was nearly crying with pain. She spat the piece of cloth out. Jack sat beside her. He felt guilty about hurting her, though there was no other way. She was breathing hard, two red splashes of colour forming on her cheeks.

Jack felt her temperature on her forehead. Her eyes closed, comforted by his tough. Jack smiled, then patted her on the shoulder. "Get some rest. It will make your leg heal quicker." As he got up, her eyes opened. She gave him a pained smile.

"Thanks Jack." He smiled back, then walked towards the little water fall. The smile had gone. Her skin had burned beneath his hand, far too hot.

Kate tried to sleep, but it was stopped by the sharp lancing pains in her ankle. She listened to people moving around her, trying to pick who it was. It stopped her mind wandering back to the night before. Without really noticing, she fell asleep.

* * *

It was dark out at the beach. The sun had boiled into the ocean, staining the sea red. The fire was down to the last glittering embers, unattended by the sleeping forms around it. Sawyer, however, wasn't sleeping. He stared, exhausted, up at the shining stars above his head, fighting drowsiness. He dared not sleep, afraid of what dreams his conscience would give him. His eyes kept fluttering closed….

He jerked himself awake, then quickly stood up. He began to walk along the sand.

* * *

Jack woke up very suddenly. The night was pitch dark, and the jungle outside was silent. He blinked, confused. What had woken him up? Sitting up, he looked around cautiously. A small whimper echoed around the cave. He turned around quickly.

Kate was asleep, but was not enjoying her dreams. She twitched, and a small moan trickled from her lips.

* * *

He was there, in her dream.

…_..His hot breath scorched her face, burning with the scent of alcohol…._

* * *

Somehow, she forced herself awake.

A dark shape was bent over her. She reacted, fear and adrenaline surging through her. Jack fell backwards, narrowly missing having his nose broken.

"Oh god, Jack!" Kate sat up, pain searing through her leg. She wobbled, dizzy. Her stomach did a funny sort of roll. Jack stood up, breath coming fast. No-one he ever knew woke up so abruptly. He sat beside Kate, worried. Her skin was red now, eyes over bright. "Are you okay?"

She tried to speak, but only coughs came, resonating from deep within her chest. Jack got her a bottle of water and she choked it down. Charlie's tousled head poked up as he blinked sleepily.

The coughs died away, and Kate fell back, exhausted. Jack felt her temperature again. Her head was on fire, burning his hand.

"What is it, Jack?" her good eye shone black in the faint light.

"You're getting pneumonia." He turned away, sorting through a pile of clothes. He gave a clean T-shirt. The one she wore was still damp, and that wouldn't be helpful at all. He turned away, and saw that Charlie was awake, watching with a worried expression on his face. Jack went to him.

"How bad will it get?" asked Charlie, glancing nervously at Kate over Jack shoulder. The Doctor sighed, scratching his head. "Bad enough that we'll have to move everyone back. Charlie nodded, looking anxiously at Kate. His eyes widened. "Jesus…" he whispered.

Jack looked and blanched. Kate had just taken her shirt off, facing away from them. Her skin was torn in hundreds of angry red lines, scarred deep across her back


End file.
